Knitting Year 2008....Year of Projected Projects!

Happy New Year! I pray that it is a year of blessings for you and yours in 2008!

Okay...Now back to knitting! And, no reason for the picture below...I just like it.


This is my future Sampler Gansey from Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, a great book and guide on the history and how-to's of knitting traditional Ganseys. I'm making the mini Sampler Gansey as listed in the book, and then it can be used as Sam's bear sweater, perhaps. You can see it here on WhitKnits blog, or in the Ravelry patterns, if you're on Ravelry already! I plant to start it today (New Year's Day), although I said it yesterday, too. I'm finishing up hubby's tie that is knit in Rowan Tapestry on size 3 needles.


Below is some of the gansey yarn to be used for a Gansey for myself, after completing the sampler sweater. It's a local yarn in the plum colorway of Elegant Ewe Custom Spun New England 100% Wool.

Hubby and I didn't really exchange gifts this year, in the conventional manner. He's a Ham Radio operator, and would like to purchase some books/equipment when needed. Sounds good to me! Oh, and he received his annual box of Cheese-Its and a coffee mug...this year's mug is a Harley-Davidson mug. Now onto my Christmas gift...yarn related, of course.
On Christmas Eve morning, I went to a yarn store and purchased Knitting Ganseys and The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I wrapped them myself to place under the tree. For me from hubby. The day after Christmas, hubby and I went out to lunch (Moe's sub shop...a favorite of mine) and he dropped me off at the LYS to purchase myself some yarn. I came out with 10 skeins of wool for a gansey, 2 pairs of needles, a few lace scarf patterns, 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book, yarn for the Easy and Elegant Garter Stitch tie, a celtic cd for my son's 19th birthday (New Year's Eve), two skeins of a bulky baby alpaca yarn (along with pattern and needles) for my secret pal at church, and a few other goodies. Wow. I felt like I robbed a candy store, and I thank hubby for the gift of yarn store brownsing and purchasing some fiber related goodness.

This is the 10 inches of snow that arrived on the morning of the 31st, and it's starting up again today (Jan 1st) with the same amount of snow expected, more or less.

Here are 3 pairs of Giver Trends felted clogs that I knit for various friends and family members for Christmas, prior to their embellishments

And...last but not least..my January 2008 Knitting Projects (or at least to be cast on in January!)

- a tie for my hubby from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (my LYS owner Marci is the designer) …a easy quick project
- a gansey for me…a purple one, as a matter of fact… (sampler project and full sized gansey) for myself, with the help of Beth Brown-Reinsel and her Knitted Ganseys book with local Elegant Ewe Custom Spun New England Wool in a plum colorway\
- Socks that Rock pair of socks for myself (it’s my “Year of Knitting for Kris”) in their new colorway that I received in the STR club this month.
- Central Park Hoodie! Woo Hoo! (cast on a bit after the gansey) - Lace scarf from a pattern from my LYS (Marci Richardson is a great designer and store owner!) called the Diagonal Madeira Lace Scarf in an ebony Zephyr silk/wool laceweight

So…that about covers it! I've spent yesterday afternoon putting projects in their bags…so they’re all ready to go. I like to have each project, the supplies and patterns in bags so depending on my mood, day’s events and my level of sanity, I have everything ready to go! OK, time to put a load of laundry in and swatch for my sampler gansey. Have a great New Years Day!